Insertable and removable oil container for journal boxes



nited States Patent 3,062,597 INSERTABLE AND REMUVABLE OIL CONTAINER FORJGURNAL BOXES Peter L. Lopez, 540 St. Louis St, Toledo 5, Ohio FiledApr. 5, 1960, Ser. No- 20,152 3 Claims. (Q1. 30887) The presentinvention generally relates to a lubricating device for railway car axlejournals and more particularly to an oil pan or tray for positioning inthe housing normally provided for such journals for holding andretaining an oil lubricant in position whereby the lower peripheralportion of the axle journal will at all times run in the oil therebyproviding proper lubrication for the axle journal and preventingoverheating thereof with subsequent damage to the journal and possiblefailure of the axle.

Normally, the journal boxes are packed with a waste packing that isimpregnated with oil to lubricate the axles. This is satisfactory to acertain degree but there are many objections to the waste packing withthe failure of the waste packing quite often causing failure of the axlewith resultant damage to the railway cars and the like. Therefore, theprimary object of the present invention is to provide a tray-like memberforming an oil container for insertion into the journal box and havingan open upper end for receiving the lower peripheral portion of thejournal whereby the journal will be running in oil disposed within thetray or container.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container forinsertion into a journal box having means on the inner end thereofconformably engaging with the axle journal and means on the outer endthereof forming a handle for removing and assembling the container andalso for engaging with the journal box for holding the container inposition in the journal box.

Stiil another object of the present invention is to provide an oilcontainer for axle journals for installation in a journal box which issimple in construction, semi-rigid, shape sustaining, easy to assembleand disassemble and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing bad to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the oil container of the presentinvention;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a journal box with thecontainer of the present invention incorporated therein;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse, sectional view taken substantially upon aplane passing along section line 3-3 of FIGURE 2 illustrating furtherstructural details of the container and the relationship thereof to thejournal box; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of an end element attached to the axlejournal for preventing oil from being discharged from the end of theaxle journal.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral generallydesignates the oil retainer which includes a substantiallysemi-cylindrical peripheral wall portion 12 defining generally asemi-cylinder. One end of the semicylindrical wall 12 is provided withan end plate 14 of generally semi-circular configuration having acircular notch 16 formed in the upper edge thereof. The other end of thesemi-cylindrical wall 12 is provided with an upwardly curved end wall 18having an outwardly extending handle or flange 20 at the upper edgethe'eof and only extending for a portion of the length of the end wall18. The free end of the flange 20 is reversely curved and formed into acylinder which forms a handle and also slidably receives the angledshort end of an L-shaped pin which holds the container in place whenfilling so that it will slip in the journal box. This cylinder isdesignated by the numeral 22.

The container 10 is inserted into a railway journal box generallydesignated by the numeral 24 which includes a generally semi-cylindricalbottom 26 and vertical side walls 28 interconnected by a top wall 30.The bottom wall 26 is upwardly curved as indicated by the numeral 32 butis provided with an enlarged opening 34. The opening 34 is closed by acover or lid 36 hingedly supported at its upper edge by hinge pin orbolt 38.

The journal box 24 includes spaced walls or flanges 4t and 42 at the endthereof remote from the opening 34 and these flanges include an opening44 receiving the axle 46. There is a dust guard bearing 48 between theflanges 4t) and 42 in engagement with the axle 46.

The axle 46 is provided with a journal 59 of reduced cross-sectionalarea and the journal 50 is engaged by a journal bearing or brass 5'2disposed between the journal 50 and the top of the journal box with thebearing 52 being held in position by the usual wedge 54. The structureof the journal and journal box is of a conventional nature and as isconventional, the journal 59 is provided with a peripheral flange 53 atthe outer end thereof.

As illustrated in FIGURE 2, the oil container 10 is inserted into thejournal box and rests on the bottom wall 26. The notch 16 receives theinner end of the journal 50 and the journal will be disposed in thesurface of the oil 53 contained within the container 10.

An absorption pillow 60 may be disposed within the container 10 forabsorbing the oil and engaging the journal 50 in order to assure thatthe journal will be properly lubricated.

In order to prevent oil from being thrown from the flanged end of thejournal, there is provided a ring-like end cap 62 having a peripheralflange 64 engaged over the flange end 53 of the journal 50. Relativelyshort bendable lugs 66 are provided on the flange 64 for bending overthe inner and outer surfaces of flange 53 adjacent the periphery thereofthus securing the cap 62 on flange 53. The cap 62 also has relativelylong inwardly extending lugs 68 thereon for engagement with the outerside edges of the top brass bearing 52 thereby retaining cap 62 on theflange 53 of the journal 50 and preventing rotation of the cap 62. Thus,any lubricating oil climbing onto the flange 53 and normally beingdischarged therefrom in a centrifugal manner will be collected by thecap 62 and retained between the flange S3 and flange 64.

The container 10 may be constructed of any suitable material such asplastics, hard, semi-flexible oil resistant rubber or the like which maybe semi-rigid in nature and impervious to attack by oil.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination with a railway vehicle axle journal and a journal boxtherefor, a removable and insertable oil container comprising asubstantially semi-cylindrcal semi-rigid open topped receptacle havingsmooth side, end and bottom surfaces conforming to the surface of theinterior of the journal box with the open top thereof receiving thelower peripheral portion of the journal, the inner end wall of saidreceptacle being substantially vertical and disposed against the innerwall of the journal box, the upper edge of the inner end wall of thereceptacle having a notch therein engaging the lower periphery of thejournal thereby enabling the journal to be disposed with the lowerperiphery below the upper edge of the receptacle, said bottom surfacebeing disposed in surface to surface contact with the interior bottomsurface of the journal box, the outer end of the receptacle beingupwardly inclined and terminating in a horizontal flange, the free endof said flange being reversely curved and formed into a cylinder forminga handle for engagement with the outer inclined wall of the journal boxand for facilitating removal and placement of the receptacle, saidreceptacle being provided with an enlarged pillow of fabric-like wastematerial of an absorbent nature resting in the container and engagingthe lower surface of the axle journal thereby transmitting lubricatingoil from the receptacle to the axle journal.

2. The combination of claim 1 together with a stationary end cap on thefree end of the axle journal, said free end of the axle journal having aperipheral flange,

said end cap including a ring, said ring having a peripheral flangedisposed in overlying relation to the periphery of the end flange on theaxle journal, said ring flange having inwardly extending bendable lugscircumferentially spaced about both the inner and outer edges of saidring flange for positioning in overlying relation to the inner and outersurface of the peripheral flange on the axle journal, said ring flangefurther including inwardly extending lugs engaged with a stationaryabutment in the journal box thereby preventing rotation of said cap.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein the flange on the receptacleextends only along the central portion of the other end wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,510,377 Blose Sept. 30, 1924 2,534,045 Massy Dec. 12, 1950 2,846,279Day et al. Aug. 5, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 418,717 France Dec. 17, 1910

